The Two Lives of Sara. Catherine Adel West. 2022. Park Row. 320 pages. [Source: Public Library.]
The Two Lives of Sara opens with the titular character musing about her new life. Having fled Chicago only months prior, she’s still adjusting to life in Memphis, not only as a newcomer in the community but as a new mother as well. Her son, Lebanon, is a responsibility she’ll take, but bringing herself to connect with and love him is a task almost too much to bear because of what he represents to her. As she gets her bearings, she joins a tight-knit group of residents who make their home in The Scarlet Poplar, a boarding house run by Mama Sugar.
To say Sara has trauma is an understatement. She is reminded constantly of her abusive life in Chicago, and is still grieving the loss of relationships with her loved ones. Much of this book felt like watching Sara try to settle into her new community and while simultaneously fighting against the feeling of trust and safety among people who came to care deeply for her and Lebanon. She spends a lot of time and energy resisting relationships and the possibility of building a life filled with stability and love, even when it’s so obviously to her detriment.
The book is filled with tension, and not always with Sara. Mama Sugar’s son Amos, an alcoholic widower more interested in gambling away money he doesn’t have than raising his son Will. The young boy is as insightful as he is inquisitive, and instead finds his mentorship with local teacher Jonas. To make matters worse, Lucky, the local loan shark is owed money from Amos and is intent on making anyone in his vicinity pay the cost.
While reading, I kept coming back to the title. On the surface, it’s obvious that Sara’s reality is frequently torn between the before and after of her life in Chicago. The Sara who was a victim before relocating refuses to suffer the same fate in Memphis, which is central to her unwillingness to be “all in” with her new community. However, the possibilities she even sees for herself are vastly different, and can be illustrated in how she interacts with Jonas and Will, among others. It also becomes apparent that her life in Memphis also serves as a “before” that will leave her irreparably transformed. Knowing this, it’s difficult to watch the ebb and flow of Sara’s life without simultaneous judgement and sympathy. On one hand, she’s been dealt hard knocks that would break weaker individuals, but at the same time, she’s sometimes complicit in inflicting harm onto others in the name of self-preservation. When all is said and done, she’s forced (or forces herself) to make decisions that are either unfathomably selfless or completely selfish, depending on how you view it.
What exactly do I say about a book so emotionally compelling that I spent the last quarter of the book with tears in my eyes, if not outright bawling? I found it hard to put The Two Lives of Sara down for long, even when I had a sense of dread anticipating how the next shoe would drop for the characters. After finishing it, I felt haunted by what happened, not only to Sara, but to all of the characters — nobody was left unaffected. The depth of pain, regret, fear, and anger was so undeniable and are what make this such a stand-out read. I definitely recommend it.
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